Waiting at the International Airport to pick people up is like watching hundreds of performances at one shot.
First of all, is the audience. Arranged in two tiers, the cheap 'seats' are outside the building and the 'balcony section' is inside, where you pay to enter. Already the audience is waiting for their rockstars with signs saying 'Mr. Adam Smith, Welcome to India' or 'Fertiliser industry welcomes delegates'. The excitement mounts as the flight information indicator changes frmo 'Scheduled' to 'Arrived' and reaches a crescendo when the Opening Act (read: the airline crew, who get first preference to leave) makes its appearance.
Then come the stars of the show. They are watched at every point along the looooong corridor that has bouncers standing along the edges. They have to make sure they meet the expectations of their waiting audience. The firangs have to look 'desified' enough, the desis have to look firang enough. Let's face it, who'll give bhaav to a desi without a pony or not dressed in a tracksuit?(that's funny, isn't it? Most of us leave in shirts and corduroys and return in banians and shorts. Is is THAT expensive?) Or for that matter, a firang without the mandatory tilak or Goa shirt?
The waiting audience is also performing. People who've spoken in Hindi or Marathi or Tamil or any of the hundreds of native tongues all their lives, suddenly acquire a new comfort with English when they enter the waiting lounge. And a twang to boot. But the air inside the waiting area is not firangified enought, so mentions of 'snakes and cheaps' slip through amongst the 'oh yeah the flight is naat on ske-dool'.
The show begins. Our country bumpkins turned rockstars acquire a new coolness to them. Compulsory mineral water bottle in hand, (after drinking our sludge for 25 years that too) they wear their sunglasses (at 3 in the morning) and emerge at the end of the exit corridor with their trolleys and waist pouches. The crowd goes into a frenzy. Camera phones click, ring tones start getting louder, conversations become hypersonic. And the waving! Oh who could forget those! The two carloads of people who've come to receive the rockstar start a mexican wave. (And why shouldn't they? What else could be the purpose of 15 people coming to receive one person) The rockstar responds with a wave thats strangely cold (Were they moonlighting as President Bush's waving body double?) and as he/she approaches the by-now-wild fans, he/she lets out a 'Hey wazzaa?' (Yes, your grandmother understands what you say. The universal language of showing attitude.) Then the point towards the exit, and all the groupies run off behind their rockstar.
But all is not hunky dory for our rockstars. Sometimes, they get stuck in customs and baggage loading. Or sometimes, CSI airport just messes with them. Just for fun. Really.
Thank God for CSI airport people. Without them, our rockstars would have had heads the size of watermelons!
2.12.07
Moving On...
This Indo-Pak cricket series has been devoid of all the passions that usually accompany it. One could say, considering the frequency with which these teams play each other nowadays, it has become less and less of an entertainer. But Indo-Pak cricket has more than just cricket, hasn't it?
i think the rivalry was at its peak in the '80s when, ironically, both teams played each other as often as they do now. Sharjah was the battleground then, and anyone even remotely interested in the game knows about Javed Miandad's last ball six in 1986. The best team of the time was the West Indies, but no one seemed to care how we fared with them. As long as we beat Pakistan. Somehow the yardstick has changed and Australia is the team we have to beat, come what may. Some see the Pakistan series as a warm-up before the Australia tour! Have our focuses changed?
i think it's got to do with the fact that, as a nation, we aren't competing with Pakistan anymore. The world sees us as India, not as the 1st part of a hyphenation that linked us with Pakistan since 1947. We've left Pakistan behind in most economic indicators, and also most political ones. A battle on the cricket pitch in the 80's seemed almost allegorical to the battle for political and economic one-upmanship the two countries were involved in. Not so much anymore. If China played cricket (sorry... good cricket), the China tour of 2007 would have been the highlight of the cricket season. We've clearly moved on.
i think the rivalry was at its peak in the '80s when, ironically, both teams played each other as often as they do now. Sharjah was the battleground then, and anyone even remotely interested in the game knows about Javed Miandad's last ball six in 1986. The best team of the time was the West Indies, but no one seemed to care how we fared with them. As long as we beat Pakistan. Somehow the yardstick has changed and Australia is the team we have to beat, come what may. Some see the Pakistan series as a warm-up before the Australia tour! Have our focuses changed?
i think it's got to do with the fact that, as a nation, we aren't competing with Pakistan anymore. The world sees us as India, not as the 1st part of a hyphenation that linked us with Pakistan since 1947. We've left Pakistan behind in most economic indicators, and also most political ones. A battle on the cricket pitch in the 80's seemed almost allegorical to the battle for political and economic one-upmanship the two countries were involved in. Not so much anymore. If China played cricket (sorry... good cricket), the China tour of 2007 would have been the highlight of the cricket season. We've clearly moved on.
28.11.07
Bullshit...
Gems from the mouth of Hafeez Contractor:
"I might have caviar, lobster, salads and a whole lot of things for dinner but if there is nothing to eat and my mother gives me some simple food, I would happilly devour it. I look at architecture from this approach. We have the skills to compete with Frank Gehry and Renzo Piano but would my client accept it?"
"I look at architecture from a survival point of view; as a service to the nation. so if we are doing some so-called bad buildings compared to the world scenario thats all right because we are making the whole nation survive."
Which means that making bad architecture is his service to the nation???? And since the accompanying article says he's the 'inspiration for the next generation of Indian architects', does it become my responsibility too??
"I might have caviar, lobster, salads and a whole lot of things for dinner but if there is nothing to eat and my mother gives me some simple food, I would happilly devour it. I look at architecture from this approach. We have the skills to compete with Frank Gehry and Renzo Piano but would my client accept it?"
"I look at architecture from a survival point of view; as a service to the nation. so if we are doing some so-called bad buildings compared to the world scenario thats all right because we are making the whole nation survive."
Which means that making bad architecture is his service to the nation???? And since the accompanying article says he's the 'inspiration for the next generation of Indian architects', does it become my responsibility too??
31.10.07
Pedagogy...
Mr. M was a nice man who taught us Hindi and Marathi in school. His passion for teaching reflected in the way he taught, every sentence and every word somehow acquiring a new meaning attached to it. We made fun of some of his habits, including his cycling all the way to school from his home, but i am sure others too had as much respect for such simple habits as i did. He was one of the few teachers who avoided being a caricature, by avoiding being too pedagogical or too friendly. For people like me who hated learning Marathi, he was someone we aspired to impress by working hard.
He was also in charge of the prefects and the Scouts in the school. One of of my friends who was a prefect and almost flunked in Marathi one time was told 'Don't bring ME to shame by flunking next time.' Most of us remember him along with this salute he taught us, to be performed during all flag hoisting ceremonies. It was derisively called the 'prefect salute' and made much fun of, but it was something that made us feel a part of a bunch.
This is not an obituary. Mr. M still teaches and inspires a new generation of kids in my school and will for atleast a few more years.
But to my surprise (and it wasn't a pleasant one) i saw the 'prefect salute' on TV last week. It was performed by old men in khaki shorts and the news reel showed other old men talking about their 'gallant' acts in disemboweling pregnant women and emasculating young Muslim men. i couldn't help but wonder if that's where the salute came from. And it shames me that Mr. M is in some way associated with these monsters. It shames me that a salute that made me feel proud at one point of time is equated with such acts of horror. It shames me to see perfectly peaceful and ordinary men and women reduced to acts of depravity.
i try to remember if there was some sign of Mr. M being in cohorts with these guys. i've tried remembering every chapter i've learnt with him, if there was some subliminal message of hatred in them. i've second guessed every word, every sentence i can remember coming from him.
The inspirational man with the Hitler moustache who rode a bicycle to school has been forgotten. The Hitler moustache is all that remains.
He was also in charge of the prefects and the Scouts in the school. One of of my friends who was a prefect and almost flunked in Marathi one time was told 'Don't bring ME to shame by flunking next time.' Most of us remember him along with this salute he taught us, to be performed during all flag hoisting ceremonies. It was derisively called the 'prefect salute' and made much fun of, but it was something that made us feel a part of a bunch.
This is not an obituary. Mr. M still teaches and inspires a new generation of kids in my school and will for atleast a few more years.
But to my surprise (and it wasn't a pleasant one) i saw the 'prefect salute' on TV last week. It was performed by old men in khaki shorts and the news reel showed other old men talking about their 'gallant' acts in disemboweling pregnant women and emasculating young Muslim men. i couldn't help but wonder if that's where the salute came from. And it shames me that Mr. M is in some way associated with these monsters. It shames me that a salute that made me feel proud at one point of time is equated with such acts of horror. It shames me to see perfectly peaceful and ordinary men and women reduced to acts of depravity.
i try to remember if there was some sign of Mr. M being in cohorts with these guys. i've tried remembering every chapter i've learnt with him, if there was some subliminal message of hatred in them. i've second guessed every word, every sentence i can remember coming from him.
The inspirational man with the Hitler moustache who rode a bicycle to school has been forgotten. The Hitler moustache is all that remains.
25.10.07
Rewind...
The last couple of weeks have been in flashback. One because of a job interview that required me to make a portfolio in a couple of days, and a junk clearing session that somehow tempted me to look through everything i have written in the last 5 years.
Portfolios have this amazing tendency to make you hate yourself. All the projects i thought have gone well don't seem so good anymore. The ones that seem good, don't look good in their scans. The ones on the comp don't look good on an A3. There were some i tried formatting as fast as possible just because looking at bad drawings for longer than 15 minutes will cause my brain to self-destruct out of shame. (No, it hadn't happened already... look elsewhere for your wisecrack)
Sorting out the writing happened just as i was looking for a 2nd year humanities project. It's a good exercise reading what you wrote a few years ago, you can actually see the changes in every writing decision you made. i seem to have lost out the humour and gained a mean, sarcastic streak. It also seems to be taking itself very seriously (the result of blogging???). Some seem a lot more depressed than before.
i wonder how much of this is 'growth' or just simply the gradually increasing levels of comfort with blogging one seems to achieve after getting used to this medium. Somehow i don't feel the need to cloak my state of mind while writing anymore.
Wonder if this has passed onto design...
Portfolios have this amazing tendency to make you hate yourself. All the projects i thought have gone well don't seem so good anymore. The ones that seem good, don't look good in their scans. The ones on the comp don't look good on an A3. There were some i tried formatting as fast as possible just because looking at bad drawings for longer than 15 minutes will cause my brain to self-destruct out of shame. (No, it hadn't happened already... look elsewhere for your wisecrack)
Sorting out the writing happened just as i was looking for a 2nd year humanities project. It's a good exercise reading what you wrote a few years ago, you can actually see the changes in every writing decision you made. i seem to have lost out the humour and gained a mean, sarcastic streak. It also seems to be taking itself very seriously (the result of blogging???). Some seem a lot more depressed than before.
i wonder how much of this is 'growth' or just simply the gradually increasing levels of comfort with blogging one seems to achieve after getting used to this medium. Somehow i don't feel the need to cloak my state of mind while writing anymore.
Wonder if this has passed onto design...
30.9.07
28.9.07
Discomfort...
Every time after printing from Andheri, i am forced to encounter eunuchs at the Juhu lane signal. i guess everybody knows what happens in such situations. First they clap, then touch you, then give blessings and continue giving them unless you decide not to pay up, which means its time for the curses (which i am told should be avoided at all costs... bad luck apparently...). In effect they're just begging for money but what is interesting is how uncomfortable they make people. And more so for men, something about the sexual ambiguity that probably makes us uncomfortable. One cannot stare at them or compete with them either, so what does one do?
A friend of mine was accosted by a couple of eunuchs on a road. He actually panicked enough to actually hand over his wallet. Another yelled at the top of his voice (a damsel-in-distress type) when a eunuch touched his hand. A third actually claims to have been given 'darshan' and has been scarred for life. And there are many more horror stories that i am sure everyone can relate to. But in the end, they're just asking for your money. How difficult is it to just say no??
A friend of mine was accosted by a couple of eunuchs on a road. He actually panicked enough to actually hand over his wallet. Another yelled at the top of his voice (a damsel-in-distress type) when a eunuch touched his hand. A third actually claims to have been given 'darshan' and has been scarred for life. And there are many more horror stories that i am sure everyone can relate to. But in the end, they're just asking for your money. How difficult is it to just say no??
19.8.07
Anathema...
First it was performed only on two days of the year. Then some jingoistic rabble rouser decided that 'youngsters aren't patriotic enough' and bullied theatre owners to play it before every movie. Now thanks to Airtel and AR Rahman, we hear a different rendition of the national anthem in every ad break. Yes, its nice to hear people as varied as Bhimsen Joshi and SP Balasubramaniam sing it, or to see the Mangeshkar sisters sing ('They look so happy when they sing together!!') again. But every 10 minutes? Isn't that a bit too much? Now that the anthem has become a part of pop culture sponsored by a corporate entity, how long before the flag becomes a part of someone's new designer line, or the national song is remixed by some DJ??
And how many times do i have to stand up for the anthem in a day to prove that i'm a patriotic Indian?
And how many times do i have to stand up for the anthem in a day to prove that i'm a patriotic Indian?
19.7.07
New Blog...
It's up and running. That too only after 7 'ayes'. Hmph. And thank you NC. Although next time, the building should be a local one...
http://www.archlogblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.archlogblog.blogspot.com/
12.7.07
Extremes...
This one might be boring. (Don't give me wisecracks, i know you are funny... you know who you are)
Two experiences in the last 2 days have left me with contrasting feelings. One is obviously great joy and satisfaction after what was one hell of a Make/Shift Mumbai exhibition. i really didn't care how many architects came, but what was really nice was more than half the visitors were (to use quite a derogatory word) lay-people. To see ordinary everyday Mumbaikars interested and concerned about the fate of their city and really trying to understand the efforts that have gone behind a lot of the work regarding the city fills me with hope: small sparks can make a difference.
On the other hand was a discussion on Orkut involving many of my classmates which was extremely disappointing, to put it mildly. More than 200 comments were posted whether Hafeez Contractor is a 'good' or 'bad' architect. In the 5th year of an architectural education, a lot of people wonder if we have any right to criticise anyone's work since 'we haven't built anything ourselves'. Another thing: Why does 'criticism' always involve only negative things? And the other seemingly consistent thread was 'if laypeople like Hafeez's elevations then what is wrong with everyone else doing the same thing?' Which means after 5 years of B.Arch and spending close to 3 lakh rupees of our parents money, we still feel our specialised education puts us on par with someone who has had no exposure to aesthetics or architecture. (i don't mean to sound elitist or egoistic but just putting down the facts) One could say only 4-5 people had such opinions and although AS gave a real fight against some of this stupidity, i don't think any opinions have changed.
At the same time, i think a lot of this intellectual garbage is spouted owing to the fact that the only role models amongst architects seem to be dead ones, dying ones, western-appreciated ones or rich ones. Architectural magazines don't even dare to criticize a building for fear of losing that architect's favour, as a result no one seems to appreciate truly decent work and a mere description of work, whether decent or not, suffices as architectural debate. And the fact that whether Hafeez is good or bad involved references to no building or architect other than Hafeez himself is deplorable.
Remedying this situation would take some gargantous effort but again owing to the first experience i feel a small effort can make some difference.
i propose starting a blog where everyone can send mails (something like a PostSecret) regarding any building they see in this city, whether good or bad not relevant. The mailer has to 'criticise' the building, and i mean understand the building not just point out its flaws. Maybe something like a Pros and Cons of that building. Honestly. And i will do my part and post all the mails i get, without bias. AND I MEAN ALL.
If i get 15 people or more to respond with an 'aye', i start the blog. Otherwise, you guys still have to face the ranting and raving with no result at the end of it.
Two experiences in the last 2 days have left me with contrasting feelings. One is obviously great joy and satisfaction after what was one hell of a Make/Shift Mumbai exhibition. i really didn't care how many architects came, but what was really nice was more than half the visitors were (to use quite a derogatory word) lay-people. To see ordinary everyday Mumbaikars interested and concerned about the fate of their city and really trying to understand the efforts that have gone behind a lot of the work regarding the city fills me with hope: small sparks can make a difference.
On the other hand was a discussion on Orkut involving many of my classmates which was extremely disappointing, to put it mildly. More than 200 comments were posted whether Hafeez Contractor is a 'good' or 'bad' architect. In the 5th year of an architectural education, a lot of people wonder if we have any right to criticise anyone's work since 'we haven't built anything ourselves'. Another thing: Why does 'criticism' always involve only negative things? And the other seemingly consistent thread was 'if laypeople like Hafeez's elevations then what is wrong with everyone else doing the same thing?' Which means after 5 years of B.Arch and spending close to 3 lakh rupees of our parents money, we still feel our specialised education puts us on par with someone who has had no exposure to aesthetics or architecture. (i don't mean to sound elitist or egoistic but just putting down the facts) One could say only 4-5 people had such opinions and although AS gave a real fight against some of this stupidity, i don't think any opinions have changed.
At the same time, i think a lot of this intellectual garbage is spouted owing to the fact that the only role models amongst architects seem to be dead ones, dying ones, western-appreciated ones or rich ones. Architectural magazines don't even dare to criticize a building for fear of losing that architect's favour, as a result no one seems to appreciate truly decent work and a mere description of work, whether decent or not, suffices as architectural debate. And the fact that whether Hafeez is good or bad involved references to no building or architect other than Hafeez himself is deplorable.
Remedying this situation would take some gargantous effort but again owing to the first experience i feel a small effort can make some difference.
i propose starting a blog where everyone can send mails (something like a PostSecret) regarding any building they see in this city, whether good or bad not relevant. The mailer has to 'criticise' the building, and i mean understand the building not just point out its flaws. Maybe something like a Pros and Cons of that building. Honestly. And i will do my part and post all the mails i get, without bias. AND I MEAN ALL.
If i get 15 people or more to respond with an 'aye', i start the blog. Otherwise, you guys still have to face the ranting and raving with no result at the end of it.
18.6.07
In the beginning...
Turns out some Muslim cleric declared a fatwa against a newspaper that showed Adam and Eve in the nude.
In light of this news, i offer the Genesis after Day 6.
On the seventh day, God teaches Adam and Eve to weave, cut and stitch cloth.
On the eight day, Adam and Eve discover polyester.
On the ninth day, Adam keeps some planks over some rocks. He calls it a 'ramp'.
On the tenth day, Adam turns up wearing a pink turtleneck, skin-fit jeans and a beret and tells Eve, 'We need to talk....'
In light of this news, i offer the Genesis after Day 6.
On the seventh day, God teaches Adam and Eve to weave, cut and stitch cloth.
On the eight day, Adam and Eve discover polyester.
On the ninth day, Adam keeps some planks over some rocks. He calls it a 'ramp'.
On the tenth day, Adam turns up wearing a pink turtleneck, skin-fit jeans and a beret and tells Eve, 'We need to talk....'
11.6.07
Sentient Being...
Today i had a conversation with the rickshaw wala about Oil Politics in the World.
It started quite innocuously with him asking why the rains were delayed this year. i figured he was curious enough to merit an explanation about the cyclone in Oman and how it was affecting our monsoon. Then he asks whether the oil production in Oman was affected. i said ya, but it'll be okay in a few weeks.
Few seconds later, "We get our petrol from Oman??" i said, maybe, we get it from all over the world.
"This Reliance-weliance found petrol in Rajasthan or something, no?" i said, ya, i think so.
"Then why we have to get it from outside?" Well, for one we can't produce enough and also the oil we get here is too expensive to convert to petrol.
The topic is rested for a while. In the meantime, i ask him where he's from etc etc. Turns out he's from Rajasthan and barely studied till 7th standard.
Then again he starts, "Why can't something else be used instead of petrol. Now we use gas in rickshaws, why can't gas be used?" Hmm. Good question. Tried to explain how America has the same number of cars as the rest of the world and getting any serious savings on petrol will need them to switch fast to CNG or something... mumble mumble
The explanation doesn't seem convincing. He asks me about HYBRID CARS! Apparently he saw an electric car on the road.
"They run okay no? And they save so much petrol!" Nod nod. Awe. Surprise.
And then the final bomb. "They should make every car run on electricity, lot of problems will be solved. All this drilling-willing for oil doesn't need to be done no?? You educated people should think about all these things." Nod nod. Guilt.
And then promptly he cuts two lanes to his left and yells at the passing cars in the choicest of shudh Hindi abuses.
This guy should be in government...
It started quite innocuously with him asking why the rains were delayed this year. i figured he was curious enough to merit an explanation about the cyclone in Oman and how it was affecting our monsoon. Then he asks whether the oil production in Oman was affected. i said ya, but it'll be okay in a few weeks.
Few seconds later, "We get our petrol from Oman??" i said, maybe, we get it from all over the world.
"This Reliance-weliance found petrol in Rajasthan or something, no?" i said, ya, i think so.
"Then why we have to get it from outside?" Well, for one we can't produce enough and also the oil we get here is too expensive to convert to petrol.
The topic is rested for a while. In the meantime, i ask him where he's from etc etc. Turns out he's from Rajasthan and barely studied till 7th standard.
Then again he starts, "Why can't something else be used instead of petrol. Now we use gas in rickshaws, why can't gas be used?" Hmm. Good question. Tried to explain how America has the same number of cars as the rest of the world and getting any serious savings on petrol will need them to switch fast to CNG or something... mumble mumble
The explanation doesn't seem convincing. He asks me about HYBRID CARS! Apparently he saw an electric car on the road.
"They run okay no? And they save so much petrol!" Nod nod. Awe. Surprise.
And then the final bomb. "They should make every car run on electricity, lot of problems will be solved. All this drilling-willing for oil doesn't need to be done no?? You educated people should think about all these things." Nod nod. Guilt.
And then promptly he cuts two lanes to his left and yells at the passing cars in the choicest of shudh Hindi abuses.
This guy should be in government...
9.6.07
Ghosts...
Pictures from a building getting torn down in Juhu Scheme. Shigeru Ban, eat your heart out.My apologies for the poor picture quality.
4.6.07
Weird Stories Part I...
Since i have nothing to write about, i will go on a trip down memory lane and find some exciting stories from my really really boring life...
When i was in 12th standard, while going to Kalrashukla Classes in Parle (east) all of us who stayed on the western side and close enough to make it by bus had to get off at a bus stop called Rasraj, with a scenic view of a huge gutter and squatting people every morning...
One day (what i thought was) an urban legend of the 'Sekchool Predator' reached my ears. Apparently two guys and two girls were standing at the bus stop on their way home ('Scream' director, i have a copyright for this story...) and some fat, middle-aged was walking up and down the length of the bus stop and whispering 'sekchool, sekchool' when he got close to the 4 of them. Now before they could do anything about it, their bus came and they thought 'better to just ignore it'. (or maybe they were too chicken to do anything about it...)
The Sekchool Predator laid low for a few days... Till one day he resurfaced and
came across his next victim... me!!! (not such an exciting twist, no?)
This time he approached his lonely victim from the side. i was listening to music for some time and failed to notice the fat, middle-aged man fitting the description of SP. Soon the music stopped and the earplugs came out. i could someone trying to get my attention with some words almost in a whisper. 'Sek, sek' is what the voice said. 'Sek'?? What was that? A unit of time, perhaps? i looked around and SP was pacing up and down the length of the bus stop (very repetitive story, but what to do?). Strange. Then he started using the word that struck terror (ok im over exaggerating) in the hearts of young people all over the world (ok this is definitely over the top): Sekchool.
And then my bus came and i hopped onto it and went home. Never heard from him or about him ever again.
Until of course, some people in college (PD for example) referred to similar incidents at the same bus stop, but that was four years later...
Theories:
1) Desperate guy looking for some 'sek' with anything that moves.
2) Pervert who gets turned on by using the word.
3) Pimp trying to advertise his whores.
4) Guy offering a place for young couples to make out (yes, this was one of the theories that stemmed from the first incident).
5) Prankster out to scare poor, innocent kids.
6) Some lout who has nothing better to do in life.
Moral of the Story: The long awaited bus always comes when the story is just beginning to get interesting...
When i was in 12th standard, while going to Kalrashukla Classes in Parle (east) all of us who stayed on the western side and close enough to make it by bus had to get off at a bus stop called Rasraj, with a scenic view of a huge gutter and squatting people every morning...
One day (what i thought was) an urban legend of the 'Sekchool Predator' reached my ears. Apparently two guys and two girls were standing at the bus stop on their way home ('Scream' director, i have a copyright for this story...) and some fat, middle-aged was walking up and down the length of the bus stop and whispering 'sekchool, sekchool' when he got close to the 4 of them. Now before they could do anything about it, their bus came and they thought 'better to just ignore it'. (or maybe they were too chicken to do anything about it...)
The Sekchool Predator laid low for a few days... Till one day he resurfaced and
came across his next victim... me!!! (not such an exciting twist, no?)
This time he approached his lonely victim from the side. i was listening to music for some time and failed to notice the fat, middle-aged man fitting the description of SP. Soon the music stopped and the earplugs came out. i could someone trying to get my attention with some words almost in a whisper. 'Sek, sek' is what the voice said. 'Sek'?? What was that? A unit of time, perhaps? i looked around and SP was pacing up and down the length of the bus stop (very repetitive story, but what to do?). Strange. Then he started using the word that struck terror (ok im over exaggerating) in the hearts of young people all over the world (ok this is definitely over the top): Sekchool.
And then my bus came and i hopped onto it and went home. Never heard from him or about him ever again.
Until of course, some people in college (PD for example) referred to similar incidents at the same bus stop, but that was four years later...
Theories:
1) Desperate guy looking for some 'sek' with anything that moves.
2) Pervert who gets turned on by using the word.
3) Pimp trying to advertise his whores.
4) Guy offering a place for young couples to make out (yes, this was one of the theories that stemmed from the first incident).
5) Prankster out to scare poor, innocent kids.
6) Some lout who has nothing better to do in life.
Moral of the Story: The long awaited bus always comes when the story is just beginning to get interesting...
2.6.07
Doppelganger...
Me as a South Park character...
This is a really fun site! i spent almost an hour trying to get myself right (in the process got South Park characters for lots of people i know, contact me if you think you are on the list).
Thanks to DG for the referral.
And yay!! i crossed the 4000 mark on my hit counter! That's quite a sucky number for 1.5 years of this blog, but still....
14.5.07
Numbers...
Got this forward on orkut. One of the many that try starting a revolution:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Friends!
Petrol in Pakistan Rs17 per litr
Malaysia Rs 18 per litr
In India it's 48 per litr
Why this difference in Asia itself? World Market CRUDE Oil is not the reason for this. It's all Gain for private owners? As we are the general public, or Common Man as R.K.Laxman wud hv said, we have to raise our voice, let's raise thru Emails.Forward this to all Indians who care.
IT HAS BEEN CALCULATED THAT IF EVERYONE DID NOT PURCHASE A DROP OF PETROL FOR ONE DAY AND ALL AT THE SAME TIME, THE OIL COMPANIES WOULD CHOKE ON THEIR STOCKPILES.AT THE SAME TIME IT WOULD HIT THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY WITH A NET LOSS OVER 4.6 BILLION DOLLARS WHICH AFFECTS THE BOTTOM LINES OF THE OILCOMPANIES.
THEREFORE "THURSDAY MAY 22nd " HAS BEEN FORMALLY DECLARED "STICK IT UP THEIR BEHIND " DAY AND THE PEOPLE OF THIS NATION SHOULD NOT BUY A SINGLE DROP OF PETROL THAT DAY.
THE ONLY WAY THIS CAN BE DONE IS IF YOU FORWARD THIS E-MAIL TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN AND AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN TO GET THE WORD
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notice the words "common man", "all indians who care".
Now take the population of India (1 billion plus and counting...)
Now take the number of people who own a car/bike/rickshaw/bus etc etc (Can't be more than 10% of the population)
Now take the number of people who own a computer, an internet connection and an orkut account (measly...)
Now take the number of people out of this tiny measly number who care to forward crap.
SO WHAT MAKES SOME FOOL THINK THAT PETROL WILL NOT BE SOLD ON THE 22ND OF MAY OR ANY OTHER DAY??????????
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Friends!
Petrol in Pakistan Rs17 per litr
Malaysia Rs 18 per litr
In India it's 48 per litr
Why this difference in Asia itself? World Market CRUDE Oil is not the reason for this. It's all Gain for private owners? As we are the general public, or Common Man as R.K.Laxman wud hv said, we have to raise our voice, let's raise thru Emails.Forward this to all Indians who care.
IT HAS BEEN CALCULATED THAT IF EVERYONE DID NOT PURCHASE A DROP OF PETROL FOR ONE DAY AND ALL AT THE SAME TIME, THE OIL COMPANIES WOULD CHOKE ON THEIR STOCKPILES.AT THE SAME TIME IT WOULD HIT THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY WITH A NET LOSS OVER 4.6 BILLION DOLLARS WHICH AFFECTS THE BOTTOM LINES OF THE OILCOMPANIES.
THEREFORE "THURSDAY MAY 22nd " HAS BEEN FORMALLY DECLARED "STICK IT UP THEIR BEHIND " DAY AND THE PEOPLE OF THIS NATION SHOULD NOT BUY A SINGLE DROP OF PETROL THAT DAY.
THE ONLY WAY THIS CAN BE DONE IS IF YOU FORWARD THIS E-MAIL TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN AND AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN TO GET THE WORD
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notice the words "common man", "all indians who care".
Now take the population of India (1 billion plus and counting...)
Now take the number of people who own a car/bike/rickshaw/bus etc etc (Can't be more than 10% of the population)
Now take the number of people who own a computer, an internet connection and an orkut account (measly...)
Now take the number of people out of this tiny measly number who care to forward crap.
SO WHAT MAKES SOME FOOL THINK THAT PETROL WILL NOT BE SOLD ON THE 22ND OF MAY OR ANY OTHER DAY??????????
16.4.07
Vice Versa...
Where does the whole aggression in cricket ads come from? As a culture we are quite benign about things in general, a feature used by many a fundamentalists to evoke some concerns about our masculinity. But ads like 'ladega to jeetega' with all our cricket stars as tigers or the one where Anil Kumble inspires Irfan Pathan to hit the middle stump in pouring rain seem to be totally opposite of what we seem to be.
i still remember ads like Pepsi's 'Nothing official about it' series and the one with Tendulkar, 'Main kahan hoon??' Two things about them: They seem to look at the lighter side of the sport, and they both featured pre-2000. In fact i can extend this argument to how sports channels push cricket series as 'Qayamat', 'Badla' or whatever else, again seemingly post-2000.
Correlate this with the recent increasing inflaming of passion of cricket fans, effigies being burnt with a few losses, baying for their blood, security outside Tendulkar's house for the first time in his 18 year career and i begin to wonder: Does life inspire the media, or does the media inspire life??
i still remember ads like Pepsi's 'Nothing official about it' series and the one with Tendulkar, 'Main kahan hoon??' Two things about them: They seem to look at the lighter side of the sport, and they both featured pre-2000. In fact i can extend this argument to how sports channels push cricket series as 'Qayamat', 'Badla' or whatever else, again seemingly post-2000.
Correlate this with the recent increasing inflaming of passion of cricket fans, effigies being burnt with a few losses, baying for their blood, security outside Tendulkar's house for the first time in his 18 year career and i begin to wonder: Does life inspire the media, or does the media inspire life??
1.4.07
Post-jury nothingness...
Bhojpuri movie titles as seen near Juhu Beach:
1) Tu Hamaar Hau
2) Kab Kaha Ba I Love You
3) Ganga Ke Paar Sajna Hamaar
4) Ravi Kishan (starring Ravi Kishan as 'Ravi', 'Kishan')
5) Hamaar Se Biyaah Karab De Do
Why do all of them remind me of crappy Hindi movies from the 80's?
And why do all of them have such a huge fan following? Apparently some of them make more money up north than all of that week's Bollywood movies.
1) Tu Hamaar Hau
2) Kab Kaha Ba I Love You
3) Ganga Ke Paar Sajna Hamaar
4) Ravi Kishan (starring Ravi Kishan as 'Ravi', 'Kishan')
5) Hamaar Se Biyaah Karab De Do
Why do all of them remind me of crappy Hindi movies from the 80's?
And why do all of them have such a huge fan following? Apparently some of them make more money up north than all of that week's Bollywood movies.
25.3.07
Hope...
Usually the best cricket related ads are the ones that come up after India has crashed out of a major tournament (except maybe the Nike one on top of the buses). They are always trying to say 'Shit! These guys suck!!' , 'Atleast they tried...' and 'They'll do better next time' all at once.
There was one ad after we lost in the Champions Trophy last year. The old man who featured in all of Pepsi's pre-CT ads is sitting before a TV with an India shirt on and it seems India has just lost. His face reddens (Shit! these guys suck!!) and he gets up and throws his India shirt out of the window. Then he walks back to his chair and suddenly gets a nicer expression (Atleast they tried...) on his face. Then he remembers he threw the shirt out of the window and runs back to it only to see some young kid pick up the shirt with cries of 'Ooo Aaah India' in the background (They'll do better next time). The End. All is forgiven and 'our' team will win again. And please keep buying our Pepsi so our team can win.
Maybe the ad guys havent got the time to figure out a consolatory ad yet, but i'm wondering how they'll manage this time.
There was one ad after we lost in the Champions Trophy last year. The old man who featured in all of Pepsi's pre-CT ads is sitting before a TV with an India shirt on and it seems India has just lost. His face reddens (Shit! these guys suck!!) and he gets up and throws his India shirt out of the window. Then he walks back to his chair and suddenly gets a nicer expression (Atleast they tried...) on his face. Then he remembers he threw the shirt out of the window and runs back to it only to see some young kid pick up the shirt with cries of 'Ooo Aaah India' in the background (They'll do better next time). The End. All is forgiven and 'our' team will win again. And please keep buying our Pepsi so our team can win.
Maybe the ad guys havent got the time to figure out a consolatory ad yet, but i'm wondering how they'll manage this time.
15.3.07
Healthy, wealthy...
i think the guy who sells 'fresh, pure, hygienic' soup outside Kaifi Azmi park has the best business idea. What else would sell better? All the fat aunties and uncles who've exhausted themselves trying to lose weight can simply feel better (physically, mentally, spiritually etc etc) by having his product.
And with all the celebs who hang arouind Juhu trying to lose weight, he should take no time to make big big bucks.
The other day, i saw Sanjeev Kapoor (the chef who can't dance) leaving the park with a big frown on his face. Maybe he was thinking 'Why didn't I think of that???' Or maybe he's not used to this exercise....
And of course how could i forget dear Eakta Kkapoor (or are there a few more k's). For the last 4 years, she jogs in front of the college hangout Patel's with her 2 attendants/co-joggers. She hasn't lost half the weight the poor fellows have. In fact they have a more strenous workout. One guy runs with 2 bottles of water and the other carries a strange bag.
And all of this reminds me to start doing something about my paunch, which someone mentions looks another living entity.
And with all the celebs who hang arouind Juhu trying to lose weight, he should take no time to make big big bucks.
The other day, i saw Sanjeev Kapoor (the chef who can't dance) leaving the park with a big frown on his face. Maybe he was thinking 'Why didn't I think of that???' Or maybe he's not used to this exercise....
And of course how could i forget dear Eakta Kkapoor (or are there a few more k's). For the last 4 years, she jogs in front of the college hangout Patel's with her 2 attendants/co-joggers. She hasn't lost half the weight the poor fellows have. In fact they have a more strenous workout. One guy runs with 2 bottles of water and the other carries a strange bag.
And all of this reminds me to start doing something about my paunch, which someone mentions looks another living entity.
25.2.07
To Kingdom Come...
For some strange reason, i wonder if there's any species of animal/plant that Greenpeace, WWF and their ilk DO NOT want to conserve/protect. Something like a 'Do Not Call' list for animals must be there...??
My candidate for the list is the Mosquito.
What good does it do for humans?
What contribution does it make to the food cycle, food chain and other biology-related diagrams?
Does it have (what a fellow blogger writes about all the time and bores us with) a "Purpose of Life"??
According to Wikipedia (may the makers/conceptualisers/promoters be blessed with a million years of happiness) only the female mosquito sucks blood, that too just because she doesn't get protein from nectar, which makes blood a special treat. Which means we are the mosquito equivalent of chocolate cake.
And the nectar-sucking is not pollinating, so no plants will suffer if they die.
Not to mention the number of diseases that will stop spreading if they don't exist.
Should the mosquito heading towards extinction sound an(other) alarm bell (these environmental alarm bells seem to ring every few hours)?? Will Greenpeace activists get onto a fuel-cell or steam-run truck and try to block mosquito exterminators from doing their work?
Will i become a social pariah for suggesting genocide of mosquitoes?
My candidate for the list is the Mosquito.
What good does it do for humans?
What contribution does it make to the food cycle, food chain and other biology-related diagrams?
Does it have (what a fellow blogger writes about all the time and bores us with) a "Purpose of Life"??
According to Wikipedia (may the makers/conceptualisers/promoters be blessed with a million years of happiness) only the female mosquito sucks blood, that too just because she doesn't get protein from nectar, which makes blood a special treat. Which means we are the mosquito equivalent of chocolate cake.
And the nectar-sucking is not pollinating, so no plants will suffer if they die.
Not to mention the number of diseases that will stop spreading if they don't exist.
Should the mosquito heading towards extinction sound an(other) alarm bell (these environmental alarm bells seem to ring every few hours)?? Will Greenpeace activists get onto a fuel-cell or steam-run truck and try to block mosquito exterminators from doing their work?
Will i become a social pariah for suggesting genocide of mosquitoes?
18.2.07
Revolution...
ARCHITECTURAL INTERNS OF THE WORLD UNITE!!!!You don't have to work a pittance for anybody!
All the work you do is the backbone of any firm's business. If YOU don't produce those working drawings (however simple, brainless or mind-numbing they are) then NO ONE will.
No contractor will make a building from concept sketches that your employers give them. YOU decide how much money your employer makes.
It is your right to demand good salaries for yourself. i know firms that make crores of rupees in profit every year because they hire only interns.
The 1500 bucks you get every month does not even cover travel costs. It is a great privilege to work with Charles Correa, but if he doesn't respect your value to his firm, then it's of no use.
If every single intern in the country decides, "I will not work for less than Rs. 7500 a month" every architectural firm in the country will either fall in line or shut down. If engineering graduates get 20,000 bucks a month the minute they finish a crappy 4-year course (and then get paid the same amount for a 6-month 'training' period), then we deserve at least half of that.
And everytime i hear architects say "We used to get 500 bucks a month when we were your age," i feel like hitting them with their T-squares.
The image and the text: Ironic, no?
To the ones who get bored with long posts: HAPPY????????
And i take my words back. i will let my posts go longer than 20 words!
12.2.07
The Crow...
Every day around 11 am in the morning, a crow with a weird 'caaack' sound sits on the parapet below the kitchen window and yells its little lungs out. My mom feeds it bits of chapati everyday, usually the first one off the pan, which doesn't taste too good. Usually i feed it on Sundays.
It's probably the closest i've come to having a pet. Some animal you can recognise just by its voice, one which you feed everyday, one who recognises you. So maybe this is the closest i've come to feeling the loss of a pet. The crow's been missing the last 2 Sundays i've been at home, and apparently it hasn't 'caaacked' in the intermittent weeks.
RIP crow. May you be fed your one chapati wherever you are.
It's probably the closest i've come to having a pet. Some animal you can recognise just by its voice, one which you feed everyday, one who recognises you. So maybe this is the closest i've come to feeling the loss of a pet. The crow's been missing the last 2 Sundays i've been at home, and apparently it hasn't 'caaacked' in the intermittent weeks.
RIP crow. May you be fed your one chapati wherever you are.
6.2.07
30.1.07
Hiranandani...
Why do most people take the word 'critical' so literally? Why does 'being critical' involve finding only negative aspects of something? As if pointing out faults can make one seem more intellectual. And most of the time, this 'being critical' ends up being 'i hate this, it's so banal/terrible/horrible...' which are all just better words for 'yuck'. And i always thought being critical meant understanding a whole system for what it is, thoroughly. An understanding of something on a more fundamental or basic level.
Which takes me to a very pertinent issue: Why do most architects hate Hafeez Contractor's contribution to architecture? Why do words like 'ugly', 'disgusting' (more synonyms of yuck) seem to attempt to describe his work in a word. Although i belonged to this bunch once upon a time, i can safely say it's more important to understand why Hafeez's work or the 'Hafeez aesthetic' is so popular before decrying it. If it has started a spate of buidings that look the same, it must have something in it to be copied. i have to mention i'm not taking sides here... or maybe i am, but it really doesn't matter because as someone said, maybe we need to understand what Hafeez does before saying how good or bad his work is.
When Hiranandani starts off constructing buildings, they do two radically different things from other builders of their time.
One: They ensure a high quality of construction, something which most people who bought houses in the 1980's can relate to. And even as a prospective househunter now, what is very apparent is the high level of finishing that they achieve for seemingly the same construction cost.
Two: They may be the first private developers who buy a large tract of land and develop it through and through: not just planning roads and plots (like Lokhandwala) or building stereotype residential buildings (like the Rahejas) but they attempt at creating a new lifestyle visible not just in the names of their roads (they're called Avenues and Boulevards! wonder why the American dream becomes the Indian dream) and street furniture (wooden benches and fancy lamp posts.. in our weather).
Now this may be an arbitrary (doubt this..) decision, but it lets a post-1991 middle class associate with a very western idea of sub-urbanity, what with paved roads and hedges and all... now the only thing missing from the picture-perfect image are the little houses set back in a yard with a picket fence. What instead has happened are these 20 storey towers which totally destroy the scale that the master plan sets out for itself. But the buildings make up in the loss of scale with even more opulent ideas of living, with a large lobby, exquisite finishing etc. where the interior actually sets the standard for a upper middle class residential building. The exterior is an arbitrary skin for a building that's quite malformed and out of scale. (i mean what formal or aesthetic lanuguage has been followed for a tympanum that hides a hexagonal water tank?). But these rarely matter for someone who's house hunting who's first priority is a good layout which allows a certain desirable level of privacy, a house that does not leak and a living room that doesnt allow the visitor to look into the bedroom. The buildings end up looking oddly proportioned and out of scale on the outside completely, but maybe that not the lens we need to look through for these buildings. Also for all the claims of post-modernism, they seem to be misplaced totally considering that neither are the elements interpreted differently from the source nor are they referring to any significant vernacular histories. Maybe the only thing it caters to is the love of the ornate and the baroque that is seemingly so characteristic of the new middle class.
Unfortunately, it is the skin of the building that stands for what initially made this kind of architecture popular. It seems the Hafeez facade has become the representative of the object itself. As of now, when i see the same elevational elements popping out on all corners of Mumbai, i wonder if a minimalist facade in the early days of Hiranandani Powai would have resulted in similar buildings all over Mumbai.
This is not to say that apart from the facade nothing is wrong with this kind of construction. The whole of Powai Hiranandani has been built in the most ecologically insensitive manner, with hills being cut up for landscaping (how ironic!) and a lot of under the table deals to change land uses, reservations etc. One only has to talk to the residents of surrounding areas to know what the 40 -storey tall towers have done to the water supply and electric supply in the area. In Powai exists a gaothan, which has been severely damaged culturally as well as spatially by the new construction. The whole complex is a drain on resources, a lot of the resources spent on creating this sense of opulence, with spotlighting on all night for all the commercial buildings and sprinklers working to create that ever green hedge. And the whole process now repeats itself in a more ecologically sensitive Ghodbunder Road area.
What i find a little worrisome is how the whole process of building as started by this involves gated communities living as a parallel city within the larger fabric. Also, the model seems to be the American suburbia with all its inherent problems not just socially but on smaller scales too (Think American Beauty).
It also worries me when Hafeez comes on a news channel and says we need more FSI without considering what it will do to the city. The complex he designed is itself an example of what high FSI can do to a neighbourhood.
DISCLAIMER:
The point of this post was not to praise or decry Hafeez Contractor or Hiranandani Constructions, but attempt at a neutral understanding of his work. My resources have not been any big books or some people but just observations as a wannabe architect and opinions as a househunter. If you have misunderstood any of my intentions, then i warn you now not to post any comment, otherwise all hell shall break loose. Thank you.
Hehehe.
Which takes me to a very pertinent issue: Why do most architects hate Hafeez Contractor's contribution to architecture? Why do words like 'ugly', 'disgusting' (more synonyms of yuck) seem to attempt to describe his work in a word. Although i belonged to this bunch once upon a time, i can safely say it's more important to understand why Hafeez's work or the 'Hafeez aesthetic' is so popular before decrying it. If it has started a spate of buidings that look the same, it must have something in it to be copied. i have to mention i'm not taking sides here... or maybe i am, but it really doesn't matter because as someone said, maybe we need to understand what Hafeez does before saying how good or bad his work is.
When Hiranandani starts off constructing buildings, they do two radically different things from other builders of their time.
One: They ensure a high quality of construction, something which most people who bought houses in the 1980's can relate to. And even as a prospective househunter now, what is very apparent is the high level of finishing that they achieve for seemingly the same construction cost.
Two: They may be the first private developers who buy a large tract of land and develop it through and through: not just planning roads and plots (like Lokhandwala) or building stereotype residential buildings (like the Rahejas) but they attempt at creating a new lifestyle visible not just in the names of their roads (they're called Avenues and Boulevards! wonder why the American dream becomes the Indian dream) and street furniture (wooden benches and fancy lamp posts.. in our weather).
Now this may be an arbitrary (doubt this..) decision, but it lets a post-1991 middle class associate with a very western idea of sub-urbanity, what with paved roads and hedges and all... now the only thing missing from the picture-perfect image are the little houses set back in a yard with a picket fence. What instead has happened are these 20 storey towers which totally destroy the scale that the master plan sets out for itself. But the buildings make up in the loss of scale with even more opulent ideas of living, with a large lobby, exquisite finishing etc. where the interior actually sets the standard for a upper middle class residential building. The exterior is an arbitrary skin for a building that's quite malformed and out of scale. (i mean what formal or aesthetic lanuguage has been followed for a tympanum that hides a hexagonal water tank?). But these rarely matter for someone who's house hunting who's first priority is a good layout which allows a certain desirable level of privacy, a house that does not leak and a living room that doesnt allow the visitor to look into the bedroom. The buildings end up looking oddly proportioned and out of scale on the outside completely, but maybe that not the lens we need to look through for these buildings. Also for all the claims of post-modernism, they seem to be misplaced totally considering that neither are the elements interpreted differently from the source nor are they referring to any significant vernacular histories. Maybe the only thing it caters to is the love of the ornate and the baroque that is seemingly so characteristic of the new middle class.
Unfortunately, it is the skin of the building that stands for what initially made this kind of architecture popular. It seems the Hafeez facade has become the representative of the object itself. As of now, when i see the same elevational elements popping out on all corners of Mumbai, i wonder if a minimalist facade in the early days of Hiranandani Powai would have resulted in similar buildings all over Mumbai.
This is not to say that apart from the facade nothing is wrong with this kind of construction. The whole of Powai Hiranandani has been built in the most ecologically insensitive manner, with hills being cut up for landscaping (how ironic!) and a lot of under the table deals to change land uses, reservations etc. One only has to talk to the residents of surrounding areas to know what the 40 -storey tall towers have done to the water supply and electric supply in the area. In Powai exists a gaothan, which has been severely damaged culturally as well as spatially by the new construction. The whole complex is a drain on resources, a lot of the resources spent on creating this sense of opulence, with spotlighting on all night for all the commercial buildings and sprinklers working to create that ever green hedge. And the whole process now repeats itself in a more ecologically sensitive Ghodbunder Road area.
What i find a little worrisome is how the whole process of building as started by this involves gated communities living as a parallel city within the larger fabric. Also, the model seems to be the American suburbia with all its inherent problems not just socially but on smaller scales too (Think American Beauty).
It also worries me when Hafeez comes on a news channel and says we need more FSI without considering what it will do to the city. The complex he designed is itself an example of what high FSI can do to a neighbourhood.
DISCLAIMER:
The point of this post was not to praise or decry Hafeez Contractor or Hiranandani Constructions, but attempt at a neutral understanding of his work. My resources have not been any big books or some people but just observations as a wannabe architect and opinions as a househunter. If you have misunderstood any of my intentions, then i warn you now not to post any comment, otherwise all hell shall break loose. Thank you.
Hehehe.
28.1.07
KBC Tritiya...
After wondering for days what makes KBC 3 more comfortable to watch than its predecessors, comes a quote from one of the producers of the show that sums it up: People tend to relate to AB from a kneeling position, while they're more open armed with SRK.
So maybe the 'This one's not as classy' remark finally found an explanation.
So maybe the 'This one's not as classy' remark finally found an explanation.
19.1.07
Redevelopment...
We had a discussion in Theory of Design class the other day about something completely off the syllabus, but something really interesting atleast to me. The professor (sounds so weird to call the guy who takes the class, but still...) was wondering if any of us were even asking the question whether the kind of re-development we're doing in Dharavi with our 40 different projects was really the kind needed. For the uninitiated, the college, the Design Cell and the 4th year studio is working on a plan (the "people's alternative" as every presentation calls it) for the redevelopment of Dharavi in opposition to a plan made by a developer. And ironically, the guy who asks this question is also the guy who's heading the Design Cell in this project.
The point is that every time we think of slum redevelopment, we see it simply as providing a building with a certain number of floors that house a certain number of slum families, the overall emphasis being on providing a larger house with a toilet and bathroom. As one of my classmates was kind enough to point out 'We're giving them closed services which is a boon for them'. All the buildings look like any building housing the middle class. Which is natural, since we are all from a closeted middle class background with all the darkness in life stowed away from us and nothing makes us feel more safer and secure than 'cleaning up' some messy parts of the city. And it blends in with one of the objectives of the studio which is to find a way to improve the quality of life of the residents of Dharavi.
However what i find amiss in all our projects (im not excluding myself here too) are objectives 2 and 3 of the studio: Retaining existing community patterns; and Retaining existing economic activity.
Let me start with objective 3: Retaining existing economic activity. Dharavi is a hotbed of indutrial activity and it was surprising to see that happening in a place constantly referred to as a black hole. Although the label on your jeans says Levi's or you feel comfy that your shirt is from Globus, we've seen both being manufactured in one of the close to 1,00,000 tenements in the area. Unfortunately, a lot of this industrial activity is illegal, like tanning of leather. A lot of the industries operate while flouting many of the ineffective labour laws. People work in a tenement from 7 in the morning until 7 in the evening when residents of the tenement come home from their workplace in another part of the clum. In effect, the industry in the area works only because the slum is invisible to the powers that be. As one leather exporter who works out of a tenement mentioned, it is impossible for him to run a business outside of Dharavi, with a particular number of holidays, limited shifts, strikes, labour laws etc. This guy makes enough profits and contributes so much of it as tax to the Government, a fact he mentions very proudly. He hires enough employees to have trouble with a union and deal with a holiday for every time a national leader decides to die. His export clients include Versace and Gucci, none of whom care where their product comes from.
The fact that most redevelopment schemes miss out on is the legal status of these industries. Most of them dwell and succeed in the darkness, the ostracisation of the slum from society, the unwillingness of the law to eneter such a space. Legality by providing a tenement or an industrial gala would be suicide. No one knows exactly how many people live in these slums, but every one agrees most work within Dharavi itself. How many industries can be shut down and how many jobs can be lost before we realise we cannot retain existing economic activity with a gentrified redevelopment scheme?
Objective #2: Existing community patterns. i do not need to tell anybody that there is a difference in a 7-storey building housing a community and a slum sprawl housing the same. The relationship that develops on a horizontal plane cannot be replicated on a vertical one. So where does the question of providing existing community patterns to remain occur? Herding one community into one building does not mean one has managed to retain community patterns.
If someone has read the argument on objective #3 and wonders if it is unfair to the 'legitimate' businesses in the city, i would say i agree with that. But the point here is to question the objectives themselves and not come up with newer ones. If concern about legitimate businesses is an objective then there can be another post about that. Similarly if the objective is to free up land for the city then redevelopment is probably a good way of achieving it.
i feel that objectives 2&3 are extremely crucial and volatile. Any kind of ambitious plan to redevelop would invariably lead to a corruption of these objectives. In such a case maybe objective #1 should be the only objective that allows some kind of intervention, some kind of intervention that achieves an upgradation of the standard of living but with minimal scarring on the fabric of the slum. Something that allows the slum to retain its character as that part of the city that fell through the cracks. i am not romanticising the slum here, but merely making a point that every city needs its "black hole", just like every human being has some bad habits. If the concern is for the inhabitants of the black hole, then an insert that addresses JUST that concern is absolutely crucial. Trying to eliminate the darkness in a city would simply supplant the darkness. If redevelopment does occur, most of these industries and the people will move to the fringes of the city, until gentrification catches up with that too, and then another black hole and then another....
i may not be aware of a clear solution, but some examples N.P. quoted and some studies and experiments carried out in Brazil and Indonesia may provide the answer. http://web.mit.edu/urbanupgrading/sponsor/ActionPlan.pdf has an interesting charter spelling out some of these things. Maybe this argument will take me nowhere as passing 4th year Design becomes more important than standing up for what i think. But i hope this brings out a better discussion than the one in TOD class, which finally ended up discussing 'Let's just throw out these wretched people who've taken our land and live on our taxes.'
That's all.
The point is that every time we think of slum redevelopment, we see it simply as providing a building with a certain number of floors that house a certain number of slum families, the overall emphasis being on providing a larger house with a toilet and bathroom. As one of my classmates was kind enough to point out 'We're giving them closed services which is a boon for them'. All the buildings look like any building housing the middle class. Which is natural, since we are all from a closeted middle class background with all the darkness in life stowed away from us and nothing makes us feel more safer and secure than 'cleaning up' some messy parts of the city. And it blends in with one of the objectives of the studio which is to find a way to improve the quality of life of the residents of Dharavi.
However what i find amiss in all our projects (im not excluding myself here too) are objectives 2 and 3 of the studio: Retaining existing community patterns; and Retaining existing economic activity.
Let me start with objective 3: Retaining existing economic activity. Dharavi is a hotbed of indutrial activity and it was surprising to see that happening in a place constantly referred to as a black hole. Although the label on your jeans says Levi's or you feel comfy that your shirt is from Globus, we've seen both being manufactured in one of the close to 1,00,000 tenements in the area. Unfortunately, a lot of this industrial activity is illegal, like tanning of leather. A lot of the industries operate while flouting many of the ineffective labour laws. People work in a tenement from 7 in the morning until 7 in the evening when residents of the tenement come home from their workplace in another part of the clum. In effect, the industry in the area works only because the slum is invisible to the powers that be. As one leather exporter who works out of a tenement mentioned, it is impossible for him to run a business outside of Dharavi, with a particular number of holidays, limited shifts, strikes, labour laws etc. This guy makes enough profits and contributes so much of it as tax to the Government, a fact he mentions very proudly. He hires enough employees to have trouble with a union and deal with a holiday for every time a national leader decides to die. His export clients include Versace and Gucci, none of whom care where their product comes from.
The fact that most redevelopment schemes miss out on is the legal status of these industries. Most of them dwell and succeed in the darkness, the ostracisation of the slum from society, the unwillingness of the law to eneter such a space. Legality by providing a tenement or an industrial gala would be suicide. No one knows exactly how many people live in these slums, but every one agrees most work within Dharavi itself. How many industries can be shut down and how many jobs can be lost before we realise we cannot retain existing economic activity with a gentrified redevelopment scheme?
Objective #2: Existing community patterns. i do not need to tell anybody that there is a difference in a 7-storey building housing a community and a slum sprawl housing the same. The relationship that develops on a horizontal plane cannot be replicated on a vertical one. So where does the question of providing existing community patterns to remain occur? Herding one community into one building does not mean one has managed to retain community patterns.
If someone has read the argument on objective #3 and wonders if it is unfair to the 'legitimate' businesses in the city, i would say i agree with that. But the point here is to question the objectives themselves and not come up with newer ones. If concern about legitimate businesses is an objective then there can be another post about that. Similarly if the objective is to free up land for the city then redevelopment is probably a good way of achieving it.
i feel that objectives 2&3 are extremely crucial and volatile. Any kind of ambitious plan to redevelop would invariably lead to a corruption of these objectives. In such a case maybe objective #1 should be the only objective that allows some kind of intervention, some kind of intervention that achieves an upgradation of the standard of living but with minimal scarring on the fabric of the slum. Something that allows the slum to retain its character as that part of the city that fell through the cracks. i am not romanticising the slum here, but merely making a point that every city needs its "black hole", just like every human being has some bad habits. If the concern is for the inhabitants of the black hole, then an insert that addresses JUST that concern is absolutely crucial. Trying to eliminate the darkness in a city would simply supplant the darkness. If redevelopment does occur, most of these industries and the people will move to the fringes of the city, until gentrification catches up with that too, and then another black hole and then another....
i may not be aware of a clear solution, but some examples N.P. quoted and some studies and experiments carried out in Brazil and Indonesia may provide the answer. http://web.mit.edu/urbanupgrading/sponsor/ActionPlan.pdf has an interesting charter spelling out some of these things. Maybe this argument will take me nowhere as passing 4th year Design becomes more important than standing up for what i think. But i hope this brings out a better discussion than the one in TOD class, which finally ended up discussing 'Let's just throw out these wretched people who've taken our land and live on our taxes.'
That's all.
11.1.07
Web 2.0...
Time magazine recently came up with their annual 'Person of the Year' issue and it voted 'YOU' as The Person. (The Man is what i was aiming for, but political correctness has drowned me in its whirlpool...) What for? For making sure that a more interactive internet works and prospers. And so today i decided i will make a contribution to Web 2.0 (that's what the "democratic internet" is called) and write another blog post ABOUT NOTHING. And visit Wikipedia and check out their article about HALF LIFE 2. Or ibnlive.com and vote on some crappy survey asking 'Who is better - Amitabh or Shahrukh?' Or simply go to Google Earth and find out that Mumbai is better detailed after the construction industry was opened up to foreign builders.
Web 2.0 is the dawn of the democratic internet. An internet that makes sure that every person who uses it leaves his/her mark behind on it. And the only mark i can seem to leave behind are useless comments on some useless issue or join a orkut community 'I Hate Himesh Reshammiya'.
Person of the Year!! Congratulations!!!
Web 2.0 is the dawn of the democratic internet. An internet that makes sure that every person who uses it leaves his/her mark behind on it. And the only mark i can seem to leave behind are useless comments on some useless issue or join a orkut community 'I Hate Himesh Reshammiya'.
Person of the Year!! Congratulations!!!
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